


Echoes

by Sourlander



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order (Video Game)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:35:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24518536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sourlander/pseuds/Sourlander
Summary: Finn and Rey are training to be Jedi and on their path they come across some writings mentioning a Jedi Knight. On their way they take Poe along and together they encounter relics from the past. And then there's also than unspoken truth between them.
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Finn
Comments: 14
Kudos: 48
Collections: Fandom Trumps Hate 2020





	1. Bogano

**Author's Note:**

  * For [picklesandsweetpea](https://archiveofourown.org/users/picklesandsweetpea/gifts).



> Hello again, it’s been a while since I published anything Star Wars on AO3. This little story is a project for Fandom Trumps Hate and is dedicated to picklesandsweetpea, who won the auction for one of my stories. Thank you so much for your patience and encouragement!
> 
> It took me a while to get into the Star Wars story writing mode again, but the “Jedi Fallen Order” got me back on track. This story was inspired by that game and by picklesandsweetpeas wish for a fanfiction involving Poe, Finn and Rey. They’ll be the main characters along with BB-8, whom we won’t forget.

“Do you think you can repair this thing?” Finn asked, his brow furrowed as he looked down at Rey. The clouds overhead had parted and the light streaming in from above made the shards of green crystal glitter in the pool of water. Her trousers were soaked. Once they got outside into the heat, the fabric would be caked with mud. But she didn’t seem to care. No surprise there. Had he grown up on that hell hole called Jakku, he’d love any form water could take as well.

“I’m not sure,” she whispered, picking up one of the bigger shards and holding it up against the light. It made the greenish tint of her hazel eyes shine brightly. “I don’t think they were meant to be repaired?”

“I don’t think they were meant to be broken in the first place,” Finn muttered, putting his hands on his hips and watching on as Rey opened the satchel on her belt to put in the crystal.

He cocked his head, watching her intently as she frowned at the centrepiece, a molten piece of a mini computer, black and scorched. “Well, so much for retrieving the infamous holocron,” Rey muttered, getting to her feet and taking another look around the ancient vault. “Should we head back?”

Finn sighed. They’d come so far after picking up the trail of Jedi Knight Cal Kestis on Ordo Eris, where the remnants of a crime syndicate had been taken over by Grakkus the Hutt. Really, that’s what you got for freeing the galaxy of the First Order. You rolled away the rock oppressing the galaxy, only to reveal a whole network of criminal activity underneath. But, he supposed, that was better than having to battle another Sith fleet. And a bit of crime here and there was infinitely better than a totalitarian regime which abducted children and wiped entire star systems off the face of the galaxy.

“Shouldn’t we look around some more?” he pondered, walking towards one of the murals on the wall. The paint had faded, but the domed structure of the innermost chamber of this vault had protected the three tall Zeffo staring down at the viewer.

“I didn’t even know there were Force wielders out there who weren’t Jedi… or Night Sisters.”

They hadn’t talked about this yet, although images of these humanoid aliens had followed them for the better part of three months now. Even on that short expedition to Dathomir they had encountered murals a of the long-since abandoned temples to the Force. It was also the place where all traces of Cal Kestis seemed to disappear and where nothing but smudges of the Zeffo murals remained.

“I shall bury the holocron where it used to be,” Finn mumbled, reciting the words etched into the stone pillar in front of the temple.

Holocrons were hard, if not downright impossible to come by. First the Empire and then the First Order had made sure of that. Relics containing data which Jedi wanted to keep amongst themselves were dangerous to them. Grakkus had possessed a few, he’d told them. But they had been taken and destroyed by the Empire.

“We don’t know what was on it anyway,” Rey said quietly and Finn nodded, accepting her hand as she reached out to him. Her skin was warm and he was grateful to have her in his life now. Teaching him. Following the footsteps of Jedi long gone.

“Must have been important,” Finn said, giving Rey’s hand a squeeze. He dropped it and approached the mural. One tall Zeffo, flanked on either side by two smaller ones, their round, lidless eyes staring into nothingness. Finn couldn’t remember ever having seen a being like this. Their long faces appeared to consist of nothing but chin, mouth and cheekbones, topped with long, flat ears. Not that he could claim having met all the species of the galaxy, not by a long shot, but these beings looked utterly, well, alien. And apparently they’d had a connection to the Force. He could feel it. That echo of Force-sensitives.

These walls seemed to ring with it.

And why else would Kestis have brought a shattered holocron here? Hadn’t the hand-

written notes of pilot Greez Dritus talked of their quest to find Force-sensitive children? “You know what, we still have some time before the council meets. A week at least, so what do you say, we take another look around that planet Zeffo? Can’t hurt?”

Rey scoffed and let go of his hand. “Poe’s gonna love the challenge of landing there.”

Finn couldn’t help but return her grin as he thought of the massive storm which constantly enveloped the planet. Another expedition. It would mean getting to spend some more time with Poe. He quickly averted his gaze before Rey could touch the subject. “You know what? I think it will.”


	2. Zeffo

** Chapter Two – Zeffo **

****

The last time they had landed on Zeffo, Finn had feared for his life. Poe was an excellent pilot and so was Rey, but damn it, that storm enveloping the biggest continent looked terrifying.

No matter how certain he was that Poe would land them again safe and sound, he couldn’t deny that the way the ship rattled and swayed in the gusts of wind, was disconcerting. The _Millenium Falcon_ might be among the fastest ships in the galaxy, but it sure as hell wasn’t the most reliable one.

Rey was at the controls next to Poe, helping him where she could. When those two had decided to stop fighting over who would fly the _Falcon_ , Finn couldn’t say, but he was relieved that they had.

The Imperial Headquarters came into view, nestled between rough cliffs of green, grey and brown, and Finn fixed his gaze on the enormous metal structure on which Poe would set down. Once the ship was stationary, Finn saw Poe sag slightly against the pilot’s chair. “I have to say, I’m getting used to this,” he said, brushing the hair out of his eyes and looking down on the landing pad.

One thing was for sure: the Empire had built things that would last. The metal hadn’t creaked once. It didn’t sway in this incessant wind, and though the Imperial Headquarters and the mining operation belonging to it looked worse for wear, it was still intact.

“Landing without damaging the ship?” Rey asked, getting up from the chair that was usually reserved for Chewbacca. “Good.”

Poe grunted and looked over his shoulder at Finn. “You okay, buddy? You look a bit sick.”

Finn waved him off. “I’m good, really.”

The trip here had taken four hours, a relatively short time considering it had taken them three whole days to reach this planet the first time. Well, the new stronghold of Grakkus was on the other side of the galaxy.

“Right,” Poe said. “I was thinking. I know you guys are up to your Jedi stuff, but I would like to come along, if that’s okay? Waiting in here for you to come back is getting a bit tedious?” He looked questioningly from Rey to Finn and back again.

“We’re not locking you up in here, you know that, right?” Rey asked. “You were the one who wanted to get away from diplomacy.”

Poe pulled a face. Leading the Resistance was one thing. Getting people to the table to negotiate a new system of government was different. The invitations had been sent out via envoys and the meeting place had been set after about three weeks of negotiations with the Queen of Naboo. Poe would be leading those negotiations. He wasn’t exactly looking forward to it, but once again he had asked Finn to be there with him. Things were easier with Finn around. He wasn’t just a friend or a comrade in arms. Finn was much, much more and Poe felt more at ease when Finn was in the same room. Well, if he wasn’t driving himself crazy about whether or not Finn felt the same about him.

He had to admit, he wasn’t entirely sure that was a question he should be asking. He’d read some of what was written in those books of Jedi code which Rey hauled along on their journey, and they disheartened him. Especially that page about no attachments.

But what did that even matter? Why was her forcing himself on them?

The thing was, he was glad to have the company. And he wanted to be near Finn, no matter what. Even if Finn didn’t feel slightly nervous whenever they were alone. Even if Finn wouldn’t even be allowed to be this nervous.

“Let’s just go,” he muttered, grabbing his jacket and leading the way out onto the long-since abandoned landing platform of the old Imperial Headquarters, a string of empty and partly rusty structures, now teeming with wildlife. To their left, along a series of narrow runways, was a derelict path leading towards one of the ancient Zeffo temples, which had all been plundered by the Empire long ago. Finn and Rey had told him about this particular one, and Poe still shuddered to think about the cold and damp inside.

The Zeffo had apparently been mostly Force-sensitive to some degree, and had built these temples to worship it and old leaders of their people. But they must have vanished from the face of the galaxy long before the height of the Jedi Order. There seemed to be little connection between these people and the mighty space knights.

He led the way out of the _Falcon_ , ready to close the ramp behind the two others.

“Well, alright, you keep up that foul mood of yours. Looking forward to a day of hiking and bitter comments.”

Poe froze dead in his tracks and turned around. “Finn,” he sighed. His friend wasn’t all that wrong. He just wished he’d had a second alone with him for once. Just the one to maybe find out what the deal was between them. “I didn’t mean it like that.” He broke off. What he meant was, that he couldn’t stop staring at Finn and he hated feeling insecure and torn.

Rolling her eyes, Rey walked towards the entrance of the old building, BB-8 right by her side. Was she giving them room? Or was Poe being ridiculous again.

“No, I get it, Rey and I aren’t exactly letting you in on the fun.” Finn put his hands on his hips and smiled. “Let’s just find out what else is out here and then we can go back to politics, huh? That’s easier for us to deal with.”

“Right.” Politics.

He and Finn followed Rey and once they had caught up to her, BB-8 fell back to roll next to Poe.

“Last time we turned left,” Rey was saying, turning into the other direction now, and heading towards another exit. They walked out onto a wide ledge in plain sight of their ship.

“So, is the Force telling you where to go?”

Rey shrugged. “My gut?”

That was as good an explanation as any.

There was a wide tunnel to their right and they started down it. After about two minutes a pained beeping made Poe’s insides clench. He whirled around to catch the droid just in time. “You’d better go back, buddy.” The terrain was rough to say the least, and clearly this passageway was not intended for use by Astromech droids. It was a small miracle BB-8 hadn’t smashed any vital components during that short fall.

The droid beeped unhappily. They hadn’t come far and already Poe was afraid that this little trip might prove too difficult for his trusted companion.

“I mean it,” Poe said, kneeling down so his face took up most of what BB-8’s visual sensors would pick up. Behind him, he could hear Rey and Finn stopping. “Seriously, you take care of the _Falcon_ , and we’ll be back before you know it.”

BB-8 whistled sadly and Poe managed a smile. “See you in a bit,” he nodded in agreement and got back to his feet. Spherical droids were an incredible invention. They were faster than any other form of astromech he’d ever seen, but take them out of a hangar, and they could easily run into trouble. Well, at least they were sturdy.

“That’s the caring Poe I met first,” Finn said with a wide smile that made Poe’s heart miss a beat. “Coming?”

Force, he was in big trouble.

The Zeffo had been a huge civilization once. Powerful, both in terms of wealth and the Force and the monuments, temples and their images hewn from the storm-swept rocks, still told that story. But they had vanished a long time ago. Whereto, nobody could say. Not even Finn with his unusual ability to sense echoes of long-forgotten events.

Both he and Rey were both relatively new in their training. By Jedi standards the amount of time they’d spent getting to know the Force and the Jedi code, they would barely count as Padawan, and when Finn found his special ability, he was hesitant to explore it. It must be rough, Poe thought, never knowing that when you touched something you might sense an echo of its history. The first time it happened, Poe had been near him, and he’d seen Finn’s face grow ashen grey as he stared wide-eyed into nothingness.

It had been a few weeks after he and Rey had started on their Jedi path together and he’d picked up an old wrench, when he’d frozen and then dropped the wrench. Only five days later he’d finally managed to tell Poe what had happened. He’d seen a young Luke Skywalker feverishly working on his X-Wing and though the Jedi hadn’t spoken, Finn was sure Skywalker had been on his way to find more Jedi lore as he was desperate to learn when the Empire had destroyed most Jedi relics.

For a couple of more minutes they walked along the tunnel and occasionally stepping aside to avoid stirring a scazz rat. These pig-sized predators weren’t fun to deal with in the best of times and so they stayed as quiet as possible.

They walked past two crossroads, both of which lead downwards into the ice caves and accompanying mines which the Empire had set up and abandoned here over forty years ago. Finally they emerged upon a plateau overlooking a village nestled against the windswept hillside. From where they were standing on top of this large set of stairs they looked at the run-down houses and the walls surrounding the village which undoubtedly were meant to keep inattentive passers-by from accidentally plunging into the abyss. Poe couldn’t help but notice this whole place looked as though it was sitting on a perch, taking up as little room as possible so to avoid falling down altogether.

“Looks abandoned,” Poe said as Finn looked to their right, along the rugged-looking cliffs. He shook his head and pointed to a spot on the far side of the village, his hand brushing Poe’s arm as he dropped it again.

“Landing pad. See that ship?”

Poe grunted. “What’s left of it.” The silvery tube-shaped vessel had clearly seen better days, but he could see the broad smile on Rey’s face as she looked at it, shielding her eyes from a glaring ray of sunshine as she looked at it.

“A Lateron yacht.”

“What’s left of it,” Poe repeated with a nod. “I doubt it still flies. Looks more like a wreck than anything else.”

“Let’s take a look anyway,” Rey said, unfazed by Poe’s apparent grumpiness and together they made their way down into the village.

The houses must have once been blindingly white. There were still traces of the former paint on it, but there were also pieces of paper still flapping around in the wind and more often than not, Poe spotted an Imperial seal spray-painted on one of the doors. Out of the corner of his eye, Poe saw Finn shove his hands into his pockets, so as not to accidentally touch anything. Clearly, this place didn’t just feel devastatingly lonely and depressing to _him_.

The people who had once lived here, clearly had been forced to work for the Empire and when they resisted, they’d been disposed of. These things hadn’t just happened under the rule of the First Order. It was the reason his own parents had signed up for the Rebellion. His father had come from a mining outpost just like this one before he’d made it off that rock.

Through the narrow alleys and past remnants of Imperial rule they made their way towards the landing patch. The settlement wasn’t big, but thanks to the vast mountain to their right and the clouds covering up the sun every now and again, the moss-covered roads almost seemed like a labyrinth. When he stumbled, he wasn’t surprised, but Finn reaching out to steady him, caught him off-guard. For a moment he just stood there, looking into those deep dark eyes, before he managed to pull away. Really, now was not the time to face this.

“Look at this!” Rey called. She’d moved ahead already and she was standing at the end of the narrow alley in something that must have once been the village centre.

Clearing his throat, Poe clapped Finn on the shoulder and moved ahead until he was standing next to Rey. This place truly was incredible. No wonder these Zeffo, and probably this Kestis guy were so fond of it. One minute you were standing in the shadow, wondering when you’d see sunlight again until you were bathed in it a few seconds later.

Poe blinked, rubbing his eyes as he stepped into the square. From the plateau they hadn’t been able to see this garden. Clearly someone had laboured here long and hard to cultivate this piece of land, fertilizing dirt to turn it into soil. “Huh,” he said, turning on his heel to look at the neat rows of what must be vegetables. He spotted a form of cabbage and the bright green leaves of roots which his father grew and which apparently could be grown anywhere. But there were other plants in these neat rows which he’d never seen.

“Doesn’t look so abandoned after all,” he said, turning to look at Finn and Rey, who were both standing stock-still, their eyes turned to one of the doors and clearly ignoring this sign of habitation that none of them had expected here. “I’m still here, you know?” And then he heard the tell-tale hiss of a door opening and he whirled around, hand on his hip and on his blaster before he’d even made a full one-eighty turn.

With a glowering gaze a smallish grey alien with four arms and wearing a patched-up flight suit came out of a house about ten metres away from him, two blasters aimed at the new comers. His sideburns were massive and made his black eyes look even smaller as he took one step outside the house. He shoved his two lower hands into his pants as a tiny exploration droid peeked out from between his two stumpy legs. “Who are you?” the grumpy little alien asked a mere millisecond before Rey activated her lightsaber, the soft hum filling the silence that ensued.

“Ah.” The alien said, narrowing his eyes. “One of those, are you?” He slowly lowered his blaster, still frowning viscously at them.

“Excuse me?” Finn asked and Poe saw that his hand was on his side arm as well.

“Jedi? I was wondering why nobody was showing up.” With a shrug. “What’re you looking for, heh?”

Poe cleared his throat, a sudden thought coming crossing his mind. That guy was Latero, wasn’t he? And if that wasn’t something to go on, what was? “Are you Greez Dritus?”

The beady eyes flickered towards him. “I’m Poe Dameron. Those are Finn and Rey Skywalker.” He bit his tongue. That sounded like they were married and hearing their names like this stung. “We found your notes about that quest of yours with Master Kestis?”

He felt Finn’s and Rey’s eyes on him as he returned the Latero’s stare. It took a long moment, then the little man slowly dropped his blaster and laughed, his deep voice echoing from the walls of the abandoned and run-down houses. “ _Master_ Kestis?” He laughed again. “Well, he was a Master at getting into trouble, that’s for sure.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so so sorry this took so long! Writing isn't particularly easy for me at the moment, but I hope you still like it. There'll be more about "Master" Kestis and his quest in the next chapter and a bit more pining.
> 
> Also, writing this story has been a great excuse to finish playing "Jedi Fallen Order." 😊
> 
> Thanks for reading! Don't forget to leave a comment!


	3. Zeffo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been months. I know, and I'm sorry, but I'm finally back with a new mini chapter and I already started working on the next. I can't wait to show you the rest of the story. I guess it'll be one or two more chapters. We'll see ;) Take care, everyone!!

** Chapter Three – Zeffo **

Cal Kestis must have been a Padawan when the Purge took off. The pain in Finn’s chest wasn’t his own. He knew that. And yet it felt like it was.

He couldn’t exactly see the pictures that must have gone through Kestis’ mind when he’d worn this. What he felt was something more profound than fear and yet less tangible than pain. It was a sense of loss. Endless loss, replaced by hope after what seemed like an eternity. And that hope had everything to do with the Latero sitting across from him and Rey now. The hope of a young person marred by fear.

Finn stroked the rough material of the armband, took in the brownish stains on the formerly cream coloured fabric and revelled in the sense that Cal Kestis had been real. Real and mortally afraid of the galaxy around him. Always on the run. Betrayed by people in white armour.

“You okay, buddy?” Poe was still lurking in the doorway, seemingly unwilling to enter and leave the outside world to itself.

Finn nodded, looked up and forced a smile, then he returned his attention to Dritus. “You said you were wondering why nobody was showing up just now,” he prompted.

Dritus shrugged and slapped his thighs with his two lower arms. “Well, I suppose after I gambled away that notebook almost forty years ago, I was almost sure a bounty hunter or two would make their way here. But ever since the Empire was done with his rock, it’s been abandoned.”

“That never-ending storm out there might have something to do with that,” Poe said, sounding truly amused for the first time in a long while. “And maybe the fact that you’re in the middle of nowhere on a planet where nobody’s bothered to check up on anything for decades. Nice crash by the way. Was that ship out there yours?”

“Is he always that charming?”

Finn caught Rey’s grin. “Mostly.” She leaned forward. “How did he die? Master Kestis?"

The Latero scoffed as he leaned back in his chair, the upholstery of which definitely looked like it had seen better days. There was barely any padding left within it and the greyish leather was little more than an empty sack lying on top of it. Still it was more than their host had offered to either of them. “Who wants to know? That’s what I’m wondering.” His eyes narrowed ever so slightly as his gaze shifted between Finn and Rey and then slid over to Poe. “Why don’t _you_ answer that, sonny?”

“Me?” Poe sounded surprised.

“Yeah, well, why not you? You’re chatty.” Dritus cocked his head and scratched the stubble on his wide chin. The sound echoed weirdly in the silence before Finn heard Poe shift and edge closer inside. “Well?”

“Let me get this straight,” Poe said, folding his arms over his chest and looking down at the alien, still half turned towards the open door. “You leave a trail that makes us travel through half the galaxy, Dathomir, Zeffo, Bogano and Zeffo again. You leave a trail that takes us following the footsteps of a Jedi, and you tell me you want to talk to me? You know anybody could have just bursted in here at any point if that journal were found by them. The Empire back in the day, the First Order until a few months ago, and you’re just fine with that?”

“The thing is,” Dritus said, getting to his feet, though the change of posture did little to raise his height, “I don’t have anything to offer anybody. Not even would-be Jedi. I don’t understand that stuff.”

“Why didn’t you destroy that journal of yours?” Rey rubbed her knees as she leant closer. She was nervous and Finn did his best to ignore his own sense of dread as he took a deep breath and clutched the piece of fabric tighter in his hands. It was nothing. Just a wristlet he’d found lying atop one of the few shelves within the abode. Dritus had eyed him curiously as Finn picked it up, but he hadn’t commented.

Dritus sighed and scratched his stubble again. “You first?” he said, a suggestion that came out almost sheepish.

“We’re with the Resistance,” Poe said confidently and he pointed at Finn and Rey. “These _would-be Jedi_ as you call them are looking for information on the Order. Anything they can find, because, truth be told, the galaxy needs the Jedi now more than ever. We found that wreck of a holocron which Kestis buried. We found his inscriptions on Dathomir. Now we’re looking for more information. And guess what pal, you can get us that intel.”

With a scoff and a shake of his head, Dritus moved over to the stove, where he’d put some water to boil just after they had arrived. The dwelling was run-down, but fairly cozy considering he was the only living sentient being on this rock. Dritus sighed and shook his head. “Cal was just a kid when I met him. I was working with this former Jedi, Cere Junda, and he agreed to help rebuild the Jedi Order… much like you’re trying now apparently.” He took four mugs off a shelf, threw some leaves into the pot and stared down at it for a full minute. The Force seemed to shift and buzz and Dritus hesitated for another moment, before he locked eyes with Finn. The dark brown eyes swam for a moment, then he moved his gaze to the piece of fabric in Finn’s hand. “You can feel it? Something?”

Finn didn’t speak, but he sensed Rey’s tension and Poe’s unease. He nodded carefully.

“Yeah, Cal could do that too.” He sighed again, then he picked up the pot and started pouring tea into the mugs on the hearth. “Listen, I don’t know what’s up with it all, but I can tell you this: Cere was killed and in trying to protect her, Cal was wounded by one of the inquisitors. Cal took him down, but he seemed dead. We’d picked up a nightsister along the way and she took him with her to take care of him. Never saw either of them ever again. Guess they’re dead.” He said it like it didn’t mean anything. Like it was nothing but a comment about the weather, but Finn felt the impact of these words. He felt the wave of grief washing over him as though it were his own.

“Where’d she take him?” Rey asked as Poe rushed over to the alien to take the mugs from him before they could smash on the well-worn tiles.

The Latero shook his head. “She didn’t tell me.”

Poe pressed his lips into a thin line and he threw a look at Finn before setting two of the mugs down on the table. Finn could see the doubt in the other man’s eyes and he knew what Poe was going to say when they got back on their ship. “I believe you,” he said, making Poe’s eyes widen for a mere moment. “But we’ll find them.” He looked at Rey again. She’d leaned back against the wall, a cushion wedged between her lower back and the white-washed duracrete. She was scowling slightly, but she nodded.

“Can you at least tell us about other places you guys went together? It might help to at least find a trace of them.”


	4. Dathomir

What struck Poe more than just a bit weird was the fact that Dritus didn’t want to leave that rock, claiming that he wanted and needed to tend to his garden above all else. Poe wasn’t entirely sure he believed him.

Poe forced his eyes closed, urging himself to stop staring at the stain on the metal above him, because he needed some sleep. If they were going back to Dathomir, and Finn and Rey had both agreed that was the right thing to do, then he wanted to get plenty of rest before he ventured off into the reddish glow of that icy place. Up ahead in the cockpit he heard soft murmuring as Rey and Finn talked, their voices so low he couldn’t make out any words.

He really needed to sleep. Turning on his side, his arms folded over his chest, he allowed his mind to wander. To that garden filled with flowers and vegetables on Zeffo. Dritus had really made that place his home, hadn’t he? Even if he was alone, abandoned by the people he’d once run through the galaxy with. In a way Dritus seemed content, even if his ship was damaged beyond repair. Maybe, after about a decade, he’d even managed to lose the fear of being found by the Empire. And why would they look for him anyway? Weren’t they all pretty sure that Kestis was dead anyway? What good was wasting resources and time on finding someone who had known someone who was now nothing more than a corpse?

And hadn’t Dritus made the best of it? Maybe he believed Dritus after all.

Maybe, once this was all done, once the Resistance was over and some form of government had been established, Poe could follow in Dritus’ footsteps. He could go back home to his dad. Help out on that farm he’d hated so much once. Maybe he’d get a knack for it. Maybe.

He heard footsteps. Too light to be Finn’s, but he didn’t look up. He kept his eyes shut, trying to swallow the panic starting to rise in his chest as he thought about going back home. No, he wasn’t ready for that yet.

Maybe he would be at some point, though.

Or maybe he wouldn’t. And was that so bad? He was no farmer. He was no good with plants. He was decent with droids. Good in a cockpit. Living things apparently weren’t his strong suit.

“Poe?” Rey asked quietly behind him, and he knew that she must sense that he wasn’t asleep.

With a sigh, he turned on his back to look up at her. “Any news?”

“We’ll be on Dathomir in about half an hour.” She managed a smile. “Do you want to do the honours?”

“Of landing?”

Rey shrugged. “Sure.”

That one word was enough to make him grin. “You know, you’d manage that pretty well on your own.”

“Well, yeah, but who’d be swooning over Finn the entire time, then?” She cocked her head, still smiling while his heart seemed to freeze in his chest. “Don’t worry about it, I’m pretty sure he hasn’t noticed yet.”

“Rey…”

“No. No arguments from you, General. Just a suggestion: Stop sulking around and do something about it, okay? You’re a grown man. Act like it. Because I’m pretty much fed up with it.”

Finn looked over his shoulder at Poe, wondering why the other still insisted on taking up the rear. He had his hand close to his blaster and looked incredibly uncomfortable. Not that he blamed him. Dathomir had to be one of the creepiest planets he’d ever been on. And it wasn’t just the fact that the air made everything seem fuzzy somehow and everything smelled like dust and salt and fog. It weren’t the spiderlike creatures that stuck to the walls and tried to sneak up on you when you weren’t looking. It wasn’t even the memories flooding in on him. Memories of feelings. Of a massacre years and years ago, when the inhabitants of this world had been mostly slaughtered during the Clone Wars. It was the sense of an itch at the back of his mind. An itch that he could now name: the Force. The Force as it was trying to reach out to him and Rey.

Was Poe feeling traces of it as well? How could he not? “Poe, you’re okay?”

Poe seemed to flinch and stood still. Rey moved on ahead, BB-8 right next to her as they made their way up the same path they had walked a few days ago. Up into that old citadel, the entrance of which she’d had to cut free with her lightsaber.

Finn looked at her over his shoulder. “Poe?”

“I don’t like this place.” Poe muttered, starting to push past Finn, but Finn took a step to the side, so they were right in front of each other. For the fraction of a second Finn’s eyes flicked to Poe’s lips as the other started to protest, then he looked up again.

“I don’t either. So?”

Poe’s eyes narrowed and Finn saw it: the onset of a snappy, retort. Instead, Poe lowered his eyes to Finn’s chest. “Never mind,” he said, patting Finn’s shoulder. “This just creeps me out. I don’t want to do anything wrong. Get you killed by one of those spider monsters or a weird plant for instance.”

Finn didn’t step aside, though. Something was gnawing at Poe. It was so obvious, but he didn’t want to point it out. What if Poe thought he was invading his privacy? What if Poe he was trying the same thing which Kylo Ren had tried on him? “Come on, let’s just go, take a look around, then we can go home and you can become the politician you never wanted to be.”

Poe laughed and he rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah, and you’ll be the Jedi I always knew you’d be.”

“You always- come off it.”

Shaking his head, Poe placed both of his hands on Finn’s shoulders. The tension seemed to have left his body and with every second that passed he stood up more straight. Poe took a deep breath. “Let’s go, Finn.”

But still Finn didn’t move. He knew he should be helping Rey, but he sensed that she was okay. She didn’t need his help. Or Poe’s. “Poe, you’ve been on edge for a while. I don’t remember you being like this when we first met.”

The dark eyes went wide and then those crinkles appeared again as he laughed. “Finn, when we first met, I was scared like crazy at first, then I was just glad that you were still alive.” He laughed again and his thumbs brushed lightly over Finn’s neck, making goose bumps appear. In the dim light of Dathomir, he looked younger somehow. Younger and suddenly more at ease. Or was it something other than the light?

Finn scoffed. “You’re one to talk. I thought I’d seen you die.”

Grinning, Poe cocked his head. He took a deep breath and took another step towards him so they were only inches apart. His hands moved up, cupping Finn’s face. “I-“ he broke off and shook his head, but before he could take a step back again, Finn’s hands shot up to hold Poe’s arms in place. His heart was racing, his skin aching to feel his hands. He’d felt it for such a long time now, but never before had Poe been so close to him again. Not since that moment in the hallway of the _Finalizer_. But this time Poe wasn’t scared. Not of death anyway.

The words Finn wanted to say tried to make it out. He knew he wanted to say something, anything, but every word seemed wrong somehow. Every syllable was too little too late. Or was it? He let his hands drop, resigned to let this matter drop too, and then Poe was close. So incredibly close. Finn barely had a second to realize what was going to happen, as Poe’s hands moved up to cup his cheeks as their lips met.

A sigh escaped Finn, his own hands flying up to hold Poe, to wrap his arms around him. He’d dreamed of this. How could he not, but somehow he’d never thought this would actually happen. That Poe would do this. That Poe might want this.

The world seemed to shrink until it was only the two of them. Until all Finn felt were those soft, hot lips and the overwhelming something he sensed at the edge of his consciousness. That something that was so unmistakeably Poe. His doubts, his fears, his complete and utter devotion. His tenderniss. The way his heart was spilling over with all of it. All those things that had drawn Finn in from the moment he laid eyes on him. It was enough to almost make Finn want to stop. To look into those deep, warm eyes again, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Not even, when he both heard and felt Poe laugh into the kiss, sending an anticipatory shiver down his spine.

And then, as though their lips had reached an agreement, they parted and Finn saw the very same warmth he’d just felt as it shone in Poe’s eyes. Finn took a deep breath. “I’ve been wanting to do this for such a long time,” he whispered, making Poe laugh again.

Within a few seconds everything had shifted. The uncertainty, the fear he’d never realised were there were gone. From one second to the next, he knew that this had stood between them. He’d always understood Poe’s jealousy. It was hard to miss it, but this kiss had put it all into perspective. It wasn’t gone. But it was easier to understand

“I-“ Poe began, but he was cut off by a yell from somewhere behind Finn. His eyes darted to a spot over his shoulder.

“Hey!” Rey was shouting and with a sigh, Finn turned around. He still wasn’t feeling an imminent threat, but Rey was waving towards them as she stood under the overgrown archway, urging them to keep moving. “You coming?”

“Yeah!” Poe shouted back. “We’ll be there in a second.”

Their eyes met once more and Finn’s heart seemed to jump in his chest. “Let’s talk about this later?”

Poe nodded once. “Let’s.”

It was strange to be close to someone else after what had just happened. Poe desperately wanted to be alone with Finn. To hold his hand. To keep kissing him until their lips were sore. To be close to him and forget all about this quest for long-dead Jedi. 

But that really wasn’t the point, was it? To forget about everything but Finn when there was a job to be done? Finn had this inexplicable gift of distracting him when neither of them could use a distraction.

Rey was still waiting for them under the archway, her hands on her hips and BB-8 by her side. For a moment there it looked like she was going to say something, but she just motioned for them to follow her into the dim room with the pillar in its centre.

“We’ve been here before,” Finn said, his eyes trained on the words which Kestis had carved into the base of the pillar. They’d been their direction to Bogano.

Rey nodded and approached the space behind it, towards a smooth stretch of wall. “I think there’s something behind it. There’s definitely something there.”

“Like a Nightsister hideout, populated with witches determined to kill us all?” Poe asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Finn grinned at him, making Poe want to inch closer towards him.

“Such a pessimist.” Rey shook her head and put her hands against the cool stone. “Finn?”

Poe had no idea what they were doing. Or why. They were both standing there, facing the wall, their hands lying lightly upon the reddish surface. Their eyes were closed, deep in concentration.

With a frown, Poe looked down at BB-8. The little astromech beeped and twirled his little head, the gesture so close to a human’s shaking his head, Poe felt himself grinning before he knew it. _You know, I just kissed Finn._ It sounded weird. Even in his head. Even though he knew that it had happened. Even though he could still feel those lips, gentle and demanding at the same time, on his. But it’d happened in this weird bubble. They’d been out of place and out of time. It hadn’t been wrong. On the contrary: it’d been everything _but_ wrong, and yet… it felt as though it was just a prelude. And that thought alone made his insides ache for more. For months on end he’d been terrified. Terrified of rejection and of losing it all. Well… whatever had just passed between them had managed to make him forget his misgivings about Jedi not being allowed attachments. At least for now. He’d worry about all that stuff later. He’d suffer for his foolishness later, too.

But it had felt so right, he thought, watching Finn and Rey, but mostly Finn. It had felt like coming home.

And then there was a soft clicking sound and something happened. Where there’d been nothing but smooth, solid wall, a seam of bright green started to glow softly in the semi-darkness and a door appeared, slowly swinging inward as though of its own accord. Open-mouthed Poe stared at the space behind. At the dark cave that lay before them now. “Woah, what just happened?”

“It’s holocron technology,” Rey said, brushing a strand of hair out of her face as she took a step back. “Someone very skilled in the Force made this.”

“Holocron technology…” Poe repeated, taking a step closer, so his arm brushed against Finn’s. Immediately Finn’s hand closed around his, sending a jolt through Poe’s entire being.

“It means it reacts to people using the Force. Not the dark side, though. It’s a very specific king of… Force usage?”

“Huh,” Poe muttered, trying to ignore the soft pressure of Finn’s hand in his. He had the distinct impression that Finn had been about to use the word _magic._ “Clever.”

“Come on, let’s go inside.” Rey was first to go and Poe hesitated before following her. He dropped Finn’s hand, determined to be ready in case they were attacked, but the further they walked down that passage, the less likely it seemed. And who would be following them? According to Rey, the Sith were all but gone. There were no other Jedi out there as far as they knew. And now she was in the lead and she was the first to walk through the next open passageway, which was illuminated by a soft bluish glow, accentuating veins of glittering substance in the rough-hewn rock. “Looks like the Nightsister Dritus talked about actually went back here. With him.”

“What makes you- oh.” Poe stood still, his eyes burning in the sudden light as Finn stopped right behind him, so close the other’s breath hit his neck. Almost hesitantly, Finn placed his hands on Poe’s hips and pushed past him, towards the cylindrical glass pod in the centre of the vast cavern and the human form inside it, suspended as though floating in water. The man’s arms were stretched out, his face pointed upward as though listening to some unearthly music. His dark red hair lay perfectly flat on his head, the well-worn clothes which reminded Poe immediately of the scrappers he’d once met on Bracca, hung limply on the skinny form. He appeared to be dead, but Finn and Rey didn’t seem to be worried about that.

“What the…” he muttered as Finn and Rey approached the man. “Is that Kestis?”

“I suppose so?” Rey waved her hand over the glass, wiping at the layer of dust that had gathered there.

“He’s alive,” Finn said, her voice shaky.

“Really?” How could he be? The man had fought the Empire fifty years ago and he looked like he wasn’t older than twenty-five at most. Besides, there was no kind of breathing apparatus attached to him. “Looks pretty dead to me.” He held back another complaint, when Finn reached up to touch the glass himself.

And then, as though he’d been waiting for it, the man’s eyes opened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun duuuuun. Cliffhanger! One more chapter to go, guys. One last chapter in which we're going to find out some more about "Master" Kestis and the PoeFinn drama. I can't believe this is actually about to end -.-


	5. Chapter 5

Cal Kestis didn’t speak. In fact, he appeared downright unresponsive, just sitting on the barren rock for a full half hour before Rey and Finn could even convince him to look up. All the while Poe lingered in the passageway; eyes trained on the hall with the stele.

“They’re all gone, aren’t they?” he finally heard a raspy voice behind him. “Every single one.”

“Who do you mean?” Rey asked and Poe looked over his shoulder to see Rey sitting on the dais next to him, handing him a flask of water. The one he was holding in his hand must already be empty.

Finn raised his head the fraction of an inch to meet Poe’s gaze and Poe nodded once. This would take a while.

“Everyone. Cere. Merrin. Greez.” His words sounded hollow, like the soul behind them was so numb it was almost detached from the words. Almost. Not quite. Poe didn’t have the Force, but he knew a tortured soul when he saw one.

“No.” Poe said. “Greez Dritus is alive. Tending to a neat little garden on Zeffo.”

Kestis’ head snapped up at this and their eyes met. When he had first opened them in that stasis pod, they had been light green, but in the semi-darkness of this little hall they were much darker. “He-“

“We saw him yesterday. He’s grumpy but seems to be alright. He said this Nightsister brought you here.”

“Merrin…” Kestis came to his feet, wiping his brow. “I… I don’t sense anything. Nobody but…you… and a few creatures. I-“

“Yes, I know,” Rey said. “There’s no sentient being in this area.”

Kestis’ looked down at her, frowning. “You’re a Jedi.”

Rey shook her head. “I am Force sensitive. My name is Rey. And so is my friend Finn.” She was quiet for a moment as Kestis looked at Finn with a furrowed brow. “There are no fully trained Jedi anymore.”

Kestis’ eyes widened for a moment as he watched Rey reach into her pouch and she produced the molten core of the holocron they had recovered on Bogano. “Dritus left his hand-written logbooks lying around. We merely followed your footsteps, Master Kestis.”

“Ma-“ he blinked then buried his face in his hands as he took a few faltering steps towards one of the walls. “I am no Jedi Master.”

Poe watched him and felt that twinge of pity deep in the pit of his stomach. This guy had lost everything. First every single family member he’d ever had when the Jedi took him in. Then he’d lost the Jedi, his past. And now this. “Doesn’t matter,” Poe said, knowing full well what he was thrusting at the man now standing with his arms braced against the wall. “These guys here need you.”

With a scoff, Kestis turned to face him and Poe sensed that he was about to say something rude, when his eyes landed on Rey and Finn. They hadn’t moved. Not an inch. What it must be like for them… all three of them. “I’m sorry,” Kestis said. “I… I don’t even know what happened… how long was I.. in there?”

Well, here came the next blow. Finn stood up now, brushing the dirt off his pants. “Somewhere between forty and fifty years as far as we can tell. The Empire fell over thirty years ago. The New Republic has taken its place.”

Kestis swallowed visibly. He was about Rey’s age, not much older. And he looked as though this revelation had shattered him all over again. “Where would we go?” he finally asked, sounding resigned.

“Off this rock,” Poe said. He had to be back at the negotiating table soon, but nobody needed to know they had actually found one of the old Jedi. “If you don’t want to come along to the fleet that’s fine. We can drop you off wherever.” He had to at least offer. Maybe this guy wanted to go back to Bogano or even Zeffo to join his friend.

“Was… was there a droid?”

“Where?” Rey asked. “Here? N- No.” She exchanged a glance with Finn who shrugged. “No droid.”

If possible Kestis’s shoulders sagged even more. “Are you sure?” he started moving about, searching for something he would not find. “A Beedee unit. Exploration droid.”

“Hang on, there was one!” Poe exclaimed so loudly Finn and Rey both turned to look up at him. “At Dritus’ place. Red and white, bipedal… I was wondering what it was doing there. That one’s yours?”

Kestis’ eyes widened and from one second to the next his entire face seemed to break into a wide grin. “Beedee-One! Yes!” He laughed. “He’s with Greez? Is he okay?”

“As far as droids go… he seemed to be, yeah.” Poe shrugged, remembering how relieved he had been when he had gotten BB-8 back after that failed mission on Jakku… well… not entirely a failed mission. He’d found Finn there. He smiled softly. And BB-8 had found Rey. “Now, can we get off this rock? Please?”

Kestis didn’t need a lot of convincing afterwards. Just leaving this place was a good enough prospect to get him moving. It would take a long time for him to adjust. Probably even longer for him to figure out his place in this new galaxy. But he’d get there eventually. Poe was confident that Finn and Rey would help him. They’d managed it too, after all. And who knew, this new Jedi Order might even work out? If Kestis agreed to it, that was. Right now it didn’t look like he could do anything but stare at walls, but soon enough he would ask more questions. Poe was certain of it.

Leaving the little chamber, Kestis already looked less shaken and he even reached for the lightsaber hanging from his belt once they were standing in front of the stele. He considered it for a moment, then turned it on, as though for good measure. The blade was bright green. He swung it around a few times, the buzzing sound of it ringing in Poe’s ears. With a satisfied nod, Kestis switched it off again and looked at the Zeffo letters etched into the stone. “When I first came here, I was looking for a way to restore the Jedi Order,” he said, his voice unwavering. “When I finally found the holocron I realized I would only destroy the Padawans I trained. The Empire would find them and kill them all.”

“The Empire is gone,” Finn said, eyes lingering on Rey. “The Emperor is dead.”

“Now, if ever is the time to build up what we can…” she added. “I know the Jedi weren’t perfect, but we can find a better way. But Finn and I… we can’t do it together, just the two of us. All we have are some old books, but we really could use your help.“

Kestis’ head snapped around and he narrowed his eyes at them. “What books?”

Rey shrugged. “My Master showed them to me. He… he died in the last war. We are all that is left.”

“Who was he?” He almost sounded hopeful. As though desperate to hear a familiar name.

“Skywalker. Luke Skywalker.”

Kestis frowned, then shook his head. “There was a Jedi in the Order, quite the hero… his name was Skywalker. But not… not Luke.” He pressed his lips into a thin line, then looked at the stele again. Whatever he took from staring at it, changed his posture. He stood up more straight. “Let’s go…” he sounded resigned, but didn’t say anything else as they headed down the path leading towards the _Falcon_ , though he looked back towards the passageway from which they had dragged him for quite a while before following them inside the old freighter. He sat down at the Dejarik table, forehead resting against his fists and Rey sat down beside him, nodding at Poe and Finn as they stood before them. She would take care of this. She would talk to him. Somehow Poe had the feeling that she’d do a better job at it than either he or Finn. And before he could say so, Finn had grabbed his hand and started pulling him down the curved hallway towards the cockpit where BB-8 was already waiting for them. 

“So this happened,” Poe muttered, hyper aware of Finn’s fingers squeezing his. Should he let go? Was it high time for him to? They had to get going.

“Yeah,” Finn said quietly, pulling Poe closer with a soft tug.

“D’you think you guys-“

“Poe, would you please, for once, shut up?”

Poe fell silent, his eyes roaming over Finn’s face. There were so many questions. So many things to talk about, but at this precise moment he couldn’t form even one coherent thought. His gaze shifted to Finn’s lips. They were so close. And he remembered the feel of them, remembered how, only about two hours ago, they had been pressed against his. Their touch was forever engraved in his mind. “I know we have a lot to talk about. The next few years will be hell, but right now… Poe…”

“What?” Poe prompted, “want me to kiss you again?” he asked, raising his free hand to cup Finn’s cheek.

They were alone.

This thing with Kestis was important, but it could wait. The whole damn galaxy could wait.

“I told you to stop talking, didn’t I?”

Poe laughed, eyes still trained on Finn’s lips before he looked up briefly. Finn looked so soft then. Soft and willing to melt in his arms. And he needed this. Stars, he needed this so badly. He let out a long breath, licked his lips, then moved in closer, his mouth tracing the contours of Finn’s jaw. He felt Finn’s quivering breath against his skin and heard the soft hissing, followed by a dull trilling sound as BB-8 closed the cockpit door.

He was considering letting Finn hang there, just for the fun of it. This had taken far too long. He’d been dying for this moment. But before he could decide, Finn had wrapped his arm around him and pulled him close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here we are. At the end of this weird little fic in which we followed Cal Kestis' from the truly magnificent game "Jedi Fallen Order" and in which Poe, Finn and Rey had to deal with some issues. 
> 
> As I wrote this last chapter I couldn't help but wonder what would happen next. I'd love to hear yout thoughts on that :)
> 
> I want to thank you all for your patience with me. I know I was really bad at updating. And I especially want to thank picklesandsweetpea for prompting me and for donating to Fandom Trumps Hate.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed reading this fic as much as I enjoyed writing it.

**Author's Note:**

> Since I’m working on another project as well, it might be a week before I update again, or I might update tomorrow. Who knows. Remember to subscribe if you want to stay up do date 😉 Thanks for reading and feel free to leave a comment!


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